Frank Leon Roberts (born August 25, 1982)[citation needed] is an American activist, writer,[1] political commentator, and college professor[2][3] at Amherst College, known for his involvement in the #BlackLivesMatter movement.[4][5][6][7] Roberts is a former faculty member at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where his course "Black Lives Matter: Race, Resistance, and Populist Protest"[8] received national attention for being one of the first such courses offered on a university campus.[9] He has been a frequent media commentator on issues related to the intersections of race and gender in American public life.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

Frank Leon Roberts
Frank Leon Roberts, Ferguson, Missouri, October 2014.
BornAugust 25, 1982
Occupation(s)Professor, writer, commentator and activist
Academic background
EducationNew York University, Yale University
Academic work
InstitutionsNew York University, Amherst College

A community organizer and public speaker, Roberts's varied perspectives on #BlackLivesMatter's influence on public debates about race and racial inequity have been cited by The New York Times, BBC Radio, NBC, CBC, Univision, The Chronicle of Higher Education and a variety of national outlets.[16][17][18][19]

Roberts is also the founder and executive director of For Freedom's Sake, a New York City based grassroots social justice organization that mobilizes black and brown communities through teach-ins and public dialogues.[20]

Roberts is a 2019 Roddenberry Foundation Fellow,[21] and a Ford Foundation Fellow.[22]

Education

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Roberts is an undergraduate alumnus of New York University, where he received both NYU's Michael Parkes Distinguished Alumni Award and Martin Luther King Trailblazer Award in 2015.[23] He also attended graduate school at NYU as a Ford Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Fellow and Yale University.[24][25][26]

References

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  1. ^ Frank Roberts Huffington Post
  2. ^ "Faculty Biography Page, Amherst College".
  3. ^ Whack, Errin (November 9, 2015). "Ferguson in the classroom: How one college took up race and policing this semester". Retrieved September 23, 2016 – via WBEZ.
  4. ^ Moynihan, Colin (April 28, 2015). "Questioning of Garner Protesters in New York Renews Concerns About Police Practices". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  5. ^ BRAGG, KO (August 2, 2016). ""Broadway for Black Lives Matter' Concert Rallies Artists, Actors"". Retrieved August 30, 2016 – via Nbcnews.com.
  6. ^ Stripling, Jack (November 10, 2015). "Thrust Into a National Debate on Race, 2 Missouri Chiefs Resign" – via The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  7. ^ Roberts, Frank Leon Roberts (August 24, 2014). "Ferguson on Fire". Uptown Magazine. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  8. ^ "BlackLivesMatter Syllabus". BlackLivesMatterSyllabus. New York University. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  9. ^ Whack, Erinn. "Ferguson In The Classroom: How One College Took Up Race And Policing This Semester".
  10. ^ Leon Roberts, Frank (August 26, 2016). "Why Frank Ocean Matters". Ebony.com. Ebony Magazine. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  11. ^ Leon Roberts, Frank (June 30, 2015). "False Hope, Empty Policy: Obama's "Amazing Grace" Moment Falls Flat". Gawker. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  12. ^ Roberts, Frank Leon (February 17, 2014). "What We Wanted to Believe: An Open Letter to America (For Jordan Davis)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  13. ^ Roberts, Frank Leon. "5 Ways of Understanding Black Lives Matter". Youtube Clip of "Broadway 4 Black Lives Matter" Event held at Columbia Law School, August 1, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  14. ^ Roberts, Frank Leon (October 17, 2014). "A Blues Ballad for Ferguson: Where Do We Go From Here?". Retrieved September 2, 2016 – via Vibe.com.
  15. ^ "How Black Lives Matter Changed the Way Americans Fight for Freedom". American Civil Liberties Union. July 13, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  16. ^ Best, Tamara (August 2, 2016). "At New Museum, A Pop Up Support System for Black Lives Matter". Retrieved August 2, 2016 – via New York Times.
  17. ^ ""Broadway for Black Lives Matter' Concert Rallies Artists, Actors"". August 2, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016 – via NBCnews.com.
  18. ^ ""Black Lives Matter: un movimiento en desahogo al culminar una "semana dura" Univison". July 8, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016 – via Univision.com.
  19. ^ "Thrust Into a National Debate on Race, 2 Missouri Chiefs Resign". November 10, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2016 – via The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  20. ^ "For Freedom's Sake Website". For Freedom's Sake. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  21. ^ "Frank Leon Roberts". Roddenberry Foundation. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  22. ^ Gallatin School Of Individualized Study (Spring 2021). "Black Lives Matter: Race, Resistance, and Popular Protest" (PDF). Gallatin Today. New York University. p. 11.
  23. ^ "New York: Nia Awards 2015". May 2, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2016 – via nyevents.us.
  24. ^ "List of Ford Foundation Awardees". The Ford Foundation. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  25. ^ Tengatenga, Cecil (December 5, 2014). "Ferguson: YDS community grieves with the nation". Yale Divinity School. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  26. ^ Tengatenga, Cecil (January 27, 2015). "From Ferguson: Carlton R. Lee engages YDS on religion and race politics". Yale Divinity School. Retrieved September 23, 2015.